In the prior art, garage door screens have been proposed in U.S. Pat. No. 5,427,169 to Saulters and U.S. Pat. No. 3,763,917 to Antinone. In the Saulters patent, a screen enclosure is disclosed for attachment to a garage door frame having a passageway, which can be opened and closed using a pair of double-sided zippers. Fasteners such as strips of hooks and loops sold under the trademark VELCRO.RTM. are used for attaching the perimeter of the screen to the garage opening.
The Antinone patent discloses a detachable, flexible screen for protecting garages, porches, terraces, and summer houses from annoying pests. Antinone describes the screen as a sheet of mesh screening material, a binding for the screening material with the width of a lower horizontal binding being larger than the vertical or upper horizontal binding, a fastening means, a top flap, and a side flap. The binding should be flexible to allow the screen to be folded. Antinone describes the fastening means as studs, snap buttons, hook, and the like. The screen can include a zipper.
However, these prior art screens are not without their problems. The Antinone screen is disadvantageous in that the zipper travels around the corner of the screen, and the screen is cumbersome to install, maintain, and use. Further, these types of fasteners do not lend themselves to a positive seal and the hardware is unsightly when exposed, i.e., when the screen is not in place.
The screen disclosed in the Saulters patents also has its disadvantages in that it is weighty and therefore cumbersome to install and manipulate. The presence of three panels, two zippers and dowels contribute to the bulkiness and overall cost of the enclosure. The hook and loop fasteners can be adversely affected by the weather, require adjustment during the fitting process and have limited color selection. In addition, the presence of the fasteners on the garage door frame is unsightly when the screen is not in place. Using hook and loop fasteners also creates a non-rigid screen which makes installation difficult.
In view of the numerous drawbacks to the garage enclosures of the prior art, a need has developed to provide an improved garage door screen that overcomes the disadvantages of the prior art. In light of this need, the present invention provides an improved garage door screen enclosure that provides, inter alia, a tight seal, an enclosure that does not require any tools for installation, and one that is color-coded to the dwelling decor to present a pleasing appearance whether or not the enclosure is installed.